Mack Brown blasts North Carolina as ‘overrated’ after loss

North Carolina coach Mack Brown did not hold back in his assessment of his team following their 17-10 season-opening loss to Virginia Tech.

The Tar Heels came into Friday night’s game ranked in the top ten of both the AP and Coaches Poll, but were silenced for much of the night as the Hokies fed off the home crowd to shut down the Tar Heels. That prompted Brown to bring out the dreaded “overrated” label for his team.

“Obviously the shine’s off,” Brown said, via David M. Hale of ESPN. “The ratings mean nothing at this point. We were overrated tonight.”

At least for the opener, the label could be applied to a lot of what North Carolina did. Quarterback Sam Howell, viewed by some as a preseason Heisman contender, went just 17-for-32 for 208 yards, throwing one touchdown and three interceptions. North Carolina’s offensive line also struggled mightily.

There are plenty who would say that Brown himself played a significant role in North Carolina’s loss. There’s definitely a lot to fix after a game like that.

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